This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Walsh, E. Articles by Freshwater, D. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The mental well-being of prison nurses in England and Wales

University of Leeds, School of Healthcare, Baines Wing, PO Box 214, Leeds, UK, e.walsh{at}leeds.ac.uk

Dawn Freshwater

University of Leeds, School of Healthcare, Baines Wing, PO Box 214, Leeds, UK

Much has been written about the mental health of prisoner patients; however, consideration of the mental well-being of the prison nursing workforce has been limited. In this paper, we highlight some of the key issues currently affecting the mental well-being of nurses working in prison and, through a discussion of a nationally funded study, share our experience of the value both of clinical supervision and action learning in providing a supportive environment for those working with prisoner patients. Policy agendas such as overcrowding and organisational change affecting commissioning arrangements were pivotal to both the scope and findings of the study. This paper foregrounds clinical supervision and reflective practice but considers emotional labour to be a fundamental premise when considering their importance for prison nurses.

Key Words: clinical supervision • emotional labour • mental health • prison nursing • reflective practice

Journal of Research in Nursing, Vol. 14, No. 6, 553-564 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1744987109346762


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?